Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brede et de Montesquieu was born on 18th January 1689 in France. He proposed the idea of separation of powers which is adopted by several constitutions in the world. He formed the word 'despotism' in the political sphere.
He attended the Catholic College of Juilly, and in 1714, he became a member of the Bordeaux Parliament. He married Jeanne de Lartigue, who was a Protestant. Montesquieu stopped working on laws and focused on writing. In 1721, he published Persian Letters which became a huge success. He also published Considerations on the Causes of the Greatness of Romans and their Decline in 1734. The Catholic Church banned The Spirit and many other works of Montesquieu.
He became a Freemason and a member of the Royal Society. He proposed doctrines of the political influence of climate. The Essay on Taste was his last work. He died on 10th February 1755 in Paris, France.
Some of the most famous Montesquieu Quotes are as follows.
I have never known any distress that an hour's reading did not relieve.
Reading is the ultimate stress buster. When you start reading a book, you allow yourself to step inside the literary world and shift yourself from the stress. Reading helps to relax the mind. Reading can reduce stress level and heartbeat rate, and it is clinically proven as well.
There is no greater tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of the law and in the name of justice.
Those who harass and humiliate others under the name of law and justice are the real tyrants. They know how to harm others and also get saved by the law. They know how to mold their words and actions to get saved by misinterpreting the laws.
Useless laws weaken the necessary laws.
Law and order play an important role in running a country smoothly. Some laws are necessary, without which the country cannot function properly, and the other laws are simply used to weaken the necessary laws. People get distracted from differentiating the importance of laws.
If one only wished to be happy, this could be easily accomplished; but we wish to be happier than other people, and this is always difficult, for we believe others to be happier than they are.
One can become happy easily. Happiness doesn't require a lot of effort. We think we are unhappy because we compare ourselves with others. We assume that people around us are happier than they are. We should not compare our happiness with others and focus on what makes us happy.
Every man is capable of doing good to another, but to contribute to the happiness of an entire society is to become akin to the gods.
It is the prime duty of humans to help each other. It is a normal act conducted by humans for each other. Those who not only help each other but also helps to contribute to the happiness of society are closer to God.
Continue reading some of the best Montesquieu Quotes...
I have always observed that to succeed in the world one should appear like a fool but be wise.
One should always be humble no matter how great things he has done. When we try to act wise and tell our plans to others, it is more likely to not succeed. When we strategize and work hard for it and stay quiet, we achieve greater things in life. When you consider yourself a fool, you try to do better in life and learn from others.
We receive three educations, one from our parents, one from our schoolmasters, and one from the world. The third contradicts all that the first two teach us.
We receive education from our parents, teachers, and the world. The greatest learning that we get is from the world. The world throws challenges, hurdles to us just to make us stronger and better.
Liberty is the right of doing whatever the laws permit.
Liberty is not doing whatever we wish to or whatever we can. We can do whatever we feel like, but we cannot harm others in the process of doing so. We can do whatever the laws permit us to do.
We should weep for men at their birth, not at their death.
Life is not easy. It is never meant to be. We should weep at birth because now one more life has to face all the troubles and tribulations of being alive. Death is peaceful. It is like setting free a soul that was trapped. One should not weep at death.
Peace is a natural effect of trade.
Peace can only be assured when both parties agree to do so. If one is aggressive and the other is asking for peace, then peace can never be established. It is a two ways road. Both the parties have to demand peace, and then only we can have peace.
Few more Montesquieu Quotes...
In the infancy of societies, the chiefs of state shape its institutions; later the institutions shape the chiefs of state.
In any society, the chiefs form and run the institutions, but gradually, the institution becomes so strong, powerful, and dominating that it starts to control the chiefs of the state. The chief becomes a puppet of theirs.
What orators lack in depth they make up for in length.
Orators know the art of moving and captivating the minds of people. Those who lack in-depth conversation try to cover that up in length. They speak more to compensate for their lack of knowledge.
Power ought to serve as a check to power.
Power act as a resistance against power. Some powers act as a check to others so that no power can have absolute authority over other powers.
Religious wars are not caused by the fact that there is more than one religion, but by the spirit of intolerance... the spread of which can only be regarded as the total eclipse of human reason.
Humans nowadays have become intolerant. Religious wars are caused by the fact that they cannot tolerate any religion other than theirs. They forget to stay in harmony with other communities.
If I knew of something that could serve my nation but would ruin another, I would not propose it to my prince, for I am first a man and only then a Frenchman... because I am necessarily a man, and only accidentally am I, French.
One should always be aware of his identity as humans. They should consider themselves first of all as humans and then anything else. If you want to do good for yourself and harm other countries, then it will be an inhumane act on your part.
Some more Montesquieu Quotes...
There is no nation so powerful, as the one that obeys its laws not from principles of fear or reason, but from passion.
Those who obey the laws by fear or reason have nothing to do with the betterment of the nation but those who do it from passion, those who obey the laws with passion have the urge to make the country better, and hence, the nation becomes the most powerful of all.
When the body of the people is possessed of the supreme power, it is called a democracy.
Democracy gives power to the people to elect their representatives. The most important power rests in the hands of people. They choose who should rule them.
Men should be bewailed at their birth, and not at their death.
Men should feel sad or regret at their birth and not at their death. Men can lament their birth because they might not like the situation or status that they are in, but one should always live the life of their dreams. They should make the most out of their lives and die happily.
Not to be loved is a misfortune, but it is an insult to be loved no longer.
Not finding love is a stroke of bad luck or misfortune, but it is really demeaning and insulting to be loved no longer. It is more like you know you have the capability, but someone ceases all your powers from you one fine day. To be loved no longer hurts the most and breaks the heart of the person.
In most things success depends on knowing how long it takes to succeed.
One should always be aware of his goal and aim in life. He should know what he is aiming for, and he should also remember it will take to fulfill it. One should have a strategy and plan to achieve his goal. He should know how long it will take and how much effort he needs to put in.
